Cohousing-L Mailing List: Problematic Residents

[George Burman (burloon75]

Here at La Querencia in Fresno,CA, we have enjoyed being an intergenerational 
community.  However, we recently have begun to experience some unsettling 
problems with that. A teenager has started inviting her friends to visit, and 
these “friends" are disrespectful to other residents, have caused damage to 
some of the property and make some residents fearful of the situation.  The 
single parent of the resident teenager seems unable to exercise any control 
over the situation, and seems fearful of the “friends.”  We have been in 
frequent contact with the police, who, although sympathetic to the situation 
seem powerless since a minor is involved. Some of the”friends" have caused 
physical damage to our facilities and the parent refuses to pay for the damage.

We are sort of at wit's end with this situation.  Some feel that the only long 
term solution is for the parent to sell and, along with the teenager, move out.

If anyone has had experience with a similar situation, especially in 
California, we would love to hear of your experience, and in particular, how 
the situation was resolved.

George Burman 
La Querencia Cohousing